Poll: Obama's downward slide mirrors George W. Bush's

FILE - In this Oct. 30, 2013, file photo, President Barack Obama speaks at Boston's historic Faneuil Hall about the federal health care law. Obama says he's sorry Americans are losing health insurance plans he repeatedly said they could keep under his signature health care law. But the president stopped short of apologizing for making those promises in the first place. "I am sorry that they are finding themselves in this situation based on assurances they got from me," he said in an interview Thursday, Nov. 7 with NBC News. (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia, File)

President Obama's approval ratings have plummeted by 14 percent since last December, according to a new poll findings that are strikingly similar to his predecessor, President George W. Bush.

The new Pew Research Center poll released Friday found that just 41 percent of respondents approve of Obama's job performance, while 53 percent disapprove. The 12-point gap represents the largest difference between those who disapprove and approve of Obama since he took office.

The Pew pollsters point out that Obama's downward trajectory is largely similar to that of Bush, who saw his approval ratings continually fall in his second term. At a similar point in his presidency, Bush's approval ratings had fallen to 36 percent, compared to 48 percent the year before.

Obama's ratings are underwater on a variety of issues, Pew found.

Just 31 percent approve of how Obama is handling the economy, compared to 65 percent who disapprove — the lowest such marks of Obama's presidency.

Obama has been on the defensive for the problem-plagued healthcare.gov and his broken promise that all Americans could keep their health care plans if they liked them. The president apologized for not living up to the pledge during an interview with NBC News on Thursday.

And as Obama presses for the House to pass comprehensive immigration reform, the Pew survey found that just 32 percent support the president's policies on that issue. In comparison, 60 percent disapprove of his approach.

The poll of 2,003 adults nationwide was conducted between Oct. 30 and Nov. 6.